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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23590198">salt water and sea strands</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/staccatoswings/pseuds/staccatoswings'>staccatoswings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Marianne being a Disney princess 2kFOREVER, Mentions of Death, Mostly Flayn for the first chapter, but not for any of the characters mentioned in the story?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:22:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,092</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23590198</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/staccatoswings/pseuds/staccatoswings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>So many years spent on this very ground and yet she acts as if it's all anew. It's so rare nowadays that Seteth isn't hovering, so it's stunted her thirst for adventure.</p><p>Not today though, not today.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Marianne von Edmund/Raphael Kirsten</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>salt water and sea strands</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello! c: i guess i don't have much to say except that im VERY excited to be writing, and at least for the moment it can be something for fire emblem (since i think certain pairs deserve WAY more fics than they've got, so here's me, making my small contribution ~ )</p><p>i was honestly stuck on ideas, but i watched this music video, and it fucked me up enough that i wanted to write something at least RELATING to it, in a sort of cathartic way?? (also i apologize in advanced for the lack of baps at the beginning, my muse really ran away with the idea that flayn would be this comforting figure?? but dont worry the baps will be here,,, eventuallyyyyyyyy) but anyways here's the fic! also a link to the music video im heavily referencing im sorry for the tears in advanced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABokQpjvELU )</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's warm.</p><p>Scratch that it's scorching beyond belief, but the thick shade of foliage keeps it tempered, and the woodland creatures seem to agree, chirps and chirees alike.</p><p>In the center's an old cracked oak, and behind<em> that</em> is the small frame of a young, spirited priestess, bright green hair layered in big curls, mixed with a giant grin gracing her face. She's got a searching look in her eyes, what for specifically she's not sure. It's just pinpointed anywhere and everywhere along the fresh expanse, and it's <em>otherworldly.</em> How many<em> moons</em> had it been? So many years spent on this very ground and yet she acts as if it's all anew. It's so rare nowadays that Seteth isn't hovering, so it's stunted her thirst for adventure.</p><p>Not today though, not today. </p><p><br/>Foraging in search of enlightenment Flayn extends her metaphorical (for now, she laments) wings, rolls her shoulders, and glides herself from foresty bush to foresty bush and makes sure to check her surroundings, hopes her brother isn't lurking six feet behind in the shadows. </p><p>"The pansies are growing in just as i'd hope," she notes the air's thick with the smell of sweet pea, and the occasional citrus-y spice that the flora familiarized itself with.</p><p>(Took what felt like days to wipe the pollen soaked evidence of her adventuring to a minimum. )</p><p>"A bit... faster than i had initially hoped, but, progress is progress i suppose," she beams, walking towards a stump in particular and cards her fingers through the foliage at the base, and as her fingers gently pulled back some of the scarlet petals, she revealed a mark underneath; a sharp, inhuman scarring on the bark. Definitely not man made in the slightest. And, so keen as she is Flayn swears she could see the hints of age, hundreds of rings lining the center of the tree.</p><p>"Oh... fascinating!" Not too far gone from a canine she shakes the feeling of flakes and debris and further urge to sneeze with a swift shake of her head.</p><p>"To think. . . that she might be here. Her technique is sure sloppier than the last i've seen--"</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>A rush of wind, a new shadow that now envelops hers.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The scrape of dirt and scorched Earth.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Hints of charred breath.</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"Oh."</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>H e r .</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"Hello!" there goes Flayn, she refuses to turn around, ever so calm in the face of potential danger--</p><p>"I, don't know if you remember me, but it's me, Ceth-- well, you know already i'm sure," she gets nervous once the words leave her mouth. Reflexively she skirts her eyes to the left, as if Seteth would show himself in this particular moment like some unwanted genie.</p><p>Instead of the answering growl she expects, she ends up with a good size drop of water dripping down her puffed up chiffon sleeve. </p><p>
  <strong> <em>How odd, i checked in twice with the gatekeeper, he did not predict rain at this particular hour--</em> </strong>
</p><p>Another drop slides down, and soaks her shoulder once more. </p><p>And another glop.</p><p>And another.</p><p>A sharp thud follows, as a light green, scale-y hand presses itself firm into the tree bark, a good hair above Flayn, and digs, talons submerged, the crack following it as painful sounding as the grip looks.</p><p>Shards of the old oak fall down along with a steady deluge of water, which, when Flayn finally lifts her head up, sees that the drips were not in fact warnings of rain, but instead waves of grieving.</p><p>"A-Are, are you well, miss?"</p><p>A sharp wail follows that inquiry.</p><p>"I. . . shall take that as a no. I, would you like someone to chat with? Or, perhaps. . . do you need someone to sit with? Keep you company? I can provide that much, i don't have to be back anytime soon."</p><p>The creature then heaves, scratches at it's chest, grips it frantically like a humans at the start of a heart attack.</p><p>"Oh! Gods, how could i be so obtuse," she digs into the sack she brought for this occasion to make a quick check that she has her materials.</p><p>"There seems to be a cut," she jumps up, like she can reach the spot in question, "Right there." </p><p>Void of hesitation, Flayn takes one of her tanned bows from her outfit and loosens it out, and, with gentle persuasion, gains enough trust from the dragon to be allowed a lift up to the wound in question. And, attentively Flayn covers the knick with her cloth, and recites some words of prayer to the Goddess. Watches as the warm, familiar singe of white-jade light coat her hands, and soak into the scratch, and then dissipate as if none of it happened. </p><p>The dragon then sighs, for once not out of pain, for a brief moment. </p><p>"I know it's not much, but the risk of infection is now ceased," she's firm, if not less energetic than a minute ago from expending her magic.</p><p>The gentle huff and smoke that billows from the dragon's mouth is enough show of gratitude to Flayn.</p><p>"Good. Well, now that that's settled, er, would you like a treat? I should have a couple muffins in my pockets, made today, in fact."</p><p>Idle chit-chat, with a dragon, if only Ignatz were here his head might pop right off. </p><p>"I hope you aren't impartial towards cranberry. It's all me and Lysithea had to worth with, supplies being so short and such. Well, and if i am perfectly candid-- the bruised blueberries we snatched from the professors desk," she snorts.</p><p>"It was very rude of me. So, Goddess willing, if you see a woman with a blank expression and a strange-looking sword at her hip, don't tell her."</p><p>She was deathly serious.</p><p>"Do we have a deal?"</p><p>Another huff of smoke, now sounding more at ease, almost amused, sounded far too tired to be so, Flayn notes.</p><p>"I'll take it."</p><p>And from there, it takes a fair bit of chatting and exchanging of treats until the creature is able to speak at all, and at last Flayn is able to properly listen, intently, ever diligent in her words and the way she phrases them, truly marking herself as a beacon of peace.</p><p>Comfortable and in her element. </p><p>
  <em>Like so, so long ago.</em>
</p><p>"Uh huh, so you were. . . oh, Gods, that sounds horrid! H-How did you ever escape death's clutch-- oh."</p><p>"Oh, well, isn't that just, truly truly awful. I. . . i'm, i'm so sorry."</p><p>"I . . . might have a friend even more suited for this sort of thing, i-if you wouldn't mind."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>. . . did i imply the reason that the tree's flowers looked dead and barren was because of flayn's lack of nurturing while she was gone?? why yes, yes i did. *sniffles*</p><p>(Also i realized that in writing this to that there aren't really mentions of unicorns in fire emblem but there are Pegasus that are unicorns?? idk im too tired lol)</p><p>(OH ! also im only prob gonna make this fic maybe another chapter or two, because i dont trust myself with multi-chapter fics unless i know i can most likely finish them.)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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